BlogPost #4 My 20 Favorite Strategies for More Language Exposure At Home
Introduction
Thinking of new ways to break through routine and introduce new habits can be challenging. As a Spanish teacher, I had a handful of strategies I would suggest parents use to support their children’s language acquisition. Over the years, my toolbox of fun and engaging activities to recommend to parents has grown. Here are my top 20 favorite ways to bring more language exposure into the home.
I am not affiliated with any of the products or other blogs listed and do not make any profit from recommending them. However, I have found them to be helpful ideas that I enjoy, and they might help others, too!
Visit Authentic Restaurants
Is your child learning a language at school? Find a restaurant selling traditional dishes and enjoy some!
Play Go fish, Memory, Uno, domino, blocks, or other fun and simple games using only the target language.
First everyone playing needs to learn the vocabulary necessary for the game, then playing can commence!
Attend Cultural Events in the Target Language
Look up embassies, museums, and famous holidays for the target group. There ar eso many cultural centers, festivals and parades that there is often many opportunities for cultural exposure!
Visit Museums or Exhibits focusing on the target language or culture
Listen to popular music in the language
Look up a local station for bonus points!
Listen to classical or traditional music in the language
This can be a great backdrop for doing chores, while eating dinner or while quietly reading together as a family.
Listen to news in the language
There ar eonline sources for free news in the target language, I suggesting finding them on a mediaplayer where you can slow down the speed of native speakers until your listening skills are strong enough to listen to native speakers at their regular speed.
Use Google Earth to explore the home country/countries for that language
Make a virtual vacation exploring a specific place, city, landmark, famous museum, and use the websites for some of those famous places to inform yourself
Go on a YouTube tour of famous places
They have awesome youtube videos where youtubers go on food tours, famous museums or landmarks or other such things in countries around the world
Make a certain night of the week, every week, that language food night
Find blogs and recipes online that you ar eexicted to try together and together make recipes from the place
Learn a famous dance from that place
Look up either a popular dance, or a old traditional dance and learn the dance moves together
Rewarcth a favorite movie as a family in the target language
Label the home
Find some labels to put around the house for common objects and places and use those labels in your regular conversations as a family
Learn the lyrics to a song you enjoy in the language
Learn about a famous person from the target language or home country, think of someone that championed a vlue or right you and your family hold dear
Create an art or craft project typical of the home country
Can also print a coloring page version of famous people or famous pieces of art
Use a translation app together to figuroue out what something in English, or your home language, looks and sounds like in the target language
Could be a bus stop, a page in a book, a favorite song’s chorus
Find an inspirational quote, poem or prayer and learn it in the target language. Say it daily in the mirror for good vibes to start the day!
Download a language learning game that is fun for you, or your child, and play it, or have them play it, for a goal amount of time each day.
Go to an international store and browse the ailes of foods from countries where the target language is spoken.
This could be a great place to use the translation app again and see exactly what is being sold
Try something from the target culture to replace a staple you and your family already enjoy.
Bonus!
Change the settings on your personal device so that everything is in the target language.
Change the settings in your social media so everything is in the target language
Follow influencers in the target language/culture in areas that interest you on social media
Do you watch makeup tutorials or video game walkthroughs? Find someone famous in that area and follow them
Like/subscribe to accounts of famous individuals in the target language/country that are inspirational to you
Memorize some key phrases in the target language, and when you are in an establishment with people that speak that language, ask if they will practice having a conversation with you, tell them you are only learning and want to practice talking about the topic you prepared for.
